Spitzer rejects retirees' health protection bill
It is with deep disappointment that I report Gov. Eliot Spitzer vetoed the health care protection legislation that we so strongly advocated.
If there is any encouragement to be gathered from this veto message, it is the governor has not dismissed this proposed legislation out-of-hand.
As president of the PEF Retirees, I have written the governor to express our disappointment and ask the PEF Retirees be made a participant in the task force to investigate universal health care for New York.
I thank all PEF Retirees who contacted the governor’s office supporting this legislation.
We can continue our efforts to defend our health care benefits by attending the public hearings being conducted by the State Insurance and Health Departments. These hearings are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as follows: Oct. 3, Erie County Community College, Buffalo; Oct. 30, Fordham University, New York; Nov. 13, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse; and Dec. 5, state University of New York at Old Westbury, Nassau County.
If you are not allowed to speak at these hearings, you can submit written testimony in the form of individual letters.
To attend a hearing, you must pre-register with the state Health Department (DOH) or the state Insurance Department (SID) by contacting Cindy Esterby at DOH, (518) 474-5737, or Deborah Greer at SID, (518) 474-4567.
All speakers must provide six written copies of their testimony to be presented at the hearing and an electronic copy for upload to the Partnership for Coverage Web site. The paper copies of the testimony must be provided to department staff on the date of the hearing being attended and the electronic copy must be e-mailed to partnership4coverage@health.state.ny.us on the date of the hearing.
If you cannot attend, you may e-mail your comments to that address.
As a PEF Retiree, you can clearly express the need to protect your health insurance. Start by telling why your health coverage is important to you and how reduced coverage or increased premiums or co-pays would affect you.
Remind them no plan to expand access should diminish the benefits of those who already have health insurance.
Tell them, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!